Choosing a Daycare; The Ultimate Checklist

February 4, 2016

Choosing a Daycare is one of the most important decisions a parent can make!

Choosing a daycare in Newport News, Virginia (or anywhere for that matter) is only one of the many difficult decisions parents have to make when it comes to their children. It’s also often one of the first. It’s difficult to know exactly what to look for to find the best environment for your child. You have many options when it comes to finding the right fit for your family. When making your choice, there are some critical things you can look for that will help you identify the best providers available.

Hopefully this short list will help you in the process;

Live, in Class Video Feeds/Streaming Video that Parents can Login to

Leaving your children in the supervision of others is always going to be difficult. The best daycares understand this dynamic and offer secure video monitoring to their parents. Video streaming can be provided through an online program with secure access. Access to the cameras is controlled through user accounts, so parents can log in to see how their children are doing whenever they want. It goes a long way to giving parents peace of mind.

Secured Access to the Building and All Childcare Areas

Daycare providers need to have a controlled point of entry. When you visit, you should expect to that the main entrance is locked and access is constantly monitored. In addition, the best daycares will have a sign-in and sign-out process and mandatory ID checks that helps them monitor as children are dropped off and picked up.

CPR/AED/First Aid Certifications for the Staff

The safety of the children is the number one concern. The daycare should require that all staff have up-to-date CPR, AED, and First Aid certifications regardless of their role at the facility. This is a basic threshold that will tell you how seriously they take children’s safety.

On-going Training

Providing the best environment for children requires staying up-to-date on the most effective strategies the help children grow. The state of Virginia requires that all daycare employees (entry level) receive a minimum of 16 hours of training each year. At Garden of Children, we require a minimum of 20 hours annually for entry level employees and then require more than the state minimum for all lead teacher, senior staff members and directors.

Tours & Visits

One subtle indicator about the quality of a daycare provider is the availability of tours and visits. If they are able to provide you with a guided tour without an appointment, you know that they are fully staffed. You also know the facility is maintained at a level where it can be visited at any time.

Learning Environment

To provide your child with the best learning environment, the daycare provider should follow a clear curriculum. At The Garden of Children, we use Developmental Milestones, Virginia Foundation Blocks, Environment Rating Scales (ERS), and CLASS to develop lessons plans for all of our classes.

Choosing a daycare that is right for your child is the first of the many major decisions you will make about your child’s education and development. You want to make the best decision possible, and making sure the daycare provider meets these criteria will give you the peace of mind that it is operating with your child’s best interests in mind.

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